


nonpareil of beauty

by lacecat



Series: oceans away [2]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Ear Piercings, Established Relationship, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Season/Series 03, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 11:47:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9070333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacecat/pseuds/lacecat
Summary: In which Silver gets his ear pierced, both by Flint and by Madi.





	

**Author's Note:**

> just a short thing I thought of! Hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> Title from Twelfth Night, Viola in Act I, Scene V,
> 
> "Oh, such love  
> Could be but recompensed though you were crowned  
> The nonpareil of beauty."

•••

 

“Who pierced your ear?” Silver demands in lieu of knocking, as he shuts the door to the captain’s quarters behind him. 

 

Flint glances up from the charts in front of him. “You’re supposed to be leading the men to shore right now.” 

 

Silver slides the lock over the door. “They’ll be fine, Billy’s meeting them on the sand,” he says, with a sort of nonchalant shrug that reminds Flint of when they first met, before sitting down heavily on the lone chair and letting his crutch lean on the front of the desk.

 

He relaxes then, his legs parting in a way that Flint is absolutely sure is only because they’re alone. And, for that matter, that they’ve been sharing the bed in the room recently more nights than not. “Your earring,” Silver continues, “I presume it was done for some idea in reinforcing your persona as Captain Flint?” 

 

Flint leans back when it’s clear that Silver is expecting an answer, narrowing his eyes. “It was. Why do you ask?” 

 

“I think I should get one. It would really solidify my image as the pirate hero of the New World,” Silver answers easily. 

 

Flint stares at him steadily. 

 

“I also lost a bet with Joji.”

 

Flint sighs. “You’ll have to go to shore to get an earring from the jeweler. I pierced my own ear, but I have no doubt you’ll be able to convince someone to help you.” 

 

He looks down at the chart and tries to return to work. But when Silver doesn’t respond, Flint instinctively glances back up at him. 

 

There’s a glint in Silver’s eye. Flint frowns. “What?” 

 

“You pierced your own, you say?” Silver says, leaning forward, and Flint realizes he’s trapped himself. “Then you can very well help me.” 

 

“No!” Flint barks out, even as Silver begins to grin. “Absolutely not.” 

 

Which is why it’s absolutely ridiculous that now, several hours later, Silver is again seated in the chair. Only now, he’s holding a tiny dark metal stud in his palm, and Flint is standing above him with a needle, after he was somehow roped into this scheme with Silver’s, well, silver tongue. 

 

(Admittedly, Silver also gave him a handjob right there at his desk, his teeth leaving marks on Flint’s collarbone that have now turned into bruises, but that was equal parts convincing and the fact that they can’t keep their hands off each other.) 

 

Silver is only wearing breeches, and Flint’s shirt has been pulled out from where it was tucked into his belt. While that alone isn’t unusual for them, Silver’s grimace of pain, and the fact that Flint is holding a bloody needle sets this particular time apart. 

 

“Fuck,” Silver hisses as he squeezes his earlobe in an effort to stop the bleeding. “You said you pierced your ear!”  


 

“You’re the one who fucking moved!” Flint snaps back. “What were you thinking?” 

 

“I thought you were going to warn me before putting it in!”  


 

“It’s better to do it quickly, you’re the one who whipped your head around-” 

 

“And you’re the one who tried to rip my ear off! What, is one leg missing not enough for you?” 

 

“For Christ’s sake, Silver, let me-” Flint tries to step forward, but Silver’s right leg shoots out, causing him to stumble and grab the desk to avoid falling. 

 

“Don’t you fucking touch me with that thing,” Silver threatens, looking between the thin metal and Flint as although he’s going to jump at him. “I don’t want you taking the rest of my ear off again.” 

 

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Flint grumbles, setting the needle down on the desk and raising his hands. “There. Are you happy now?” 

 

Silver eyes the needle. “I thought it would be easier than this.” 

 

The captain exhales. “We’re heading back to Maroon Island tomorrow morning. You’ll be able to fulfill your end of whatever bet you were so foolish to take.” 

 

“Hey,” Silver says, “Joji said that you would say that.” Before Flint can bite out another remark, however, his bare foot finds its way to Flint’s calf and curls around it. “You can make it up to me, though.”

 

“Your ear is still bleeding,” Flint points out, even as he takes a step closer to him, his gaze flickering down Silver’s enticingly bare torso. “You have to keep pressure on it.” 

 

Silver smirks. “I’ll just have to use one hand.” The hand not holding his ear goes to Flint’s waist, pulling him closer. 

 

Flint rolls his eyes, but he’s already sinking to his knees, proceeding to fully distract Silver from the earlier misadventure.

 

“Oh,” Silver moans, as he runs his hand over Flint’s head, behind his jaw, “I’m certainly happy now- _fuck,_ James, your mouth-”

 

 

 

•••

 

 

 

Further attempts with the earring was put aside for several weeks, as they were distracted by several skirmishes with Woodes Rogers’ men. Their losses had not been as severe recently, but every body they left behind still served a vivid reminder that they were fighting a war. 

 

While Flint had always reveled in the thrill of battle, the feeling of his blood singing as he cut down British regulars left and right, a new development captured his attention. Now he was also apt to keep an eye on Silver during the carnage, keeping track of the man’s dark curls even as dust was kicked up around them.

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t know Silver was capable of slaughter. He certainly was more than so with a sharp sword in his hand and an unholy look in his eyes, the fierce twist of his mouth not unlike Flint’s own expression. Perhaps it was an intrinsic need to keep Silver alive- _safe_ \- so that they could win this war, or the change in the nature of their relationship, but Flint found himself seeking Silver’s location like one instinctively looks up to the soft haze of the moon at night. 

 

He tried to avoid being obvious about the matter, as Silver was a proud man, and would likely interpret Flint’s interest as sympathy and react badly. He knew better than to show sympathy for the other man, how much he hated being reminded of his limits. 

 

But in looking out for Silver, Flint had missed the facf that now Silver watched after him.

 

During the last battle, an errant British regular had slashed Flint’s forearm nearly down to the bone. As Flint fell back with a grunt, already preparing to roll to avoid a sword to his gut, Silver had immediately stepped between him and the regular, his motion quick as if he had been waiting to step in. He killed the man with a well-timed stab to the throat, the sword a bright flash as it caught the sunlight, before turning to the captain.

 

Flint didn’t miss the quick look that Silver ran over him, already assessing the injury before raising an eyebrow at Flint, as if he’d just been lazing around in the dirt. 

 

Flint remembers the time when he had been furious at Silver for not paying attention during a battle. His heart had thudded painfully in his chest as he shouted at the other man, even as he himself knew that he was overreacting, but Silver hadn’t backed down. 

 

The men thought that Captain Flint had no fear, but the opposite was true when it came to John Silver. Fear clogged his throat at the thought of losing Silver then, and it still was a recurring theme in his nightmares. Even now he woke up many nights with a bitter taste in his mouth, the image of John’s blue eyes stark against the dark red spill of blood haunting his dreams. Flint would steady his shaking hands by pressing his palms to his eyes, the cool pressure welcome as if he could forget the sight. 

 

Sometimes, his movement would wake up Silver, who would grumble but then curl more around him, eventually coaxing him back to slumber in his arms. 

 

Now they had finally made it back to Maroon Island. Flint bites back another curse as Madi passes a wet cloth over the wound on his arm. Her mouth is a stern line, but her hands are as gentle as possible. “This will scar,” she says, dipping the cloth into clean water. 

 

“He’s used to it,” Silver says from where he’s seated across the room, watching Madi and Flint while holding a bottle of wine. “You should see the one on his thigh, from before we met, right?” 

 

Flint breathes through the burst of pain when Madi digs at the wound to clean it out. “Spanish merchant ship,” he says, trying not to flinch away from her hands. “One of their crew stayed below. Shot me when I went down the stairs.”

 

Madi gives a short hum. “You’ve nearly died many times, haven’t you?” She meets his eye for a moment when he’s slow to respond, still gritting his teeth as the pain ebbs away. 

 

Flint is briefly reminded of standing in front of the Maroon Queen, her dark eyes illuminated by hazy yellow light, trying to tell her that more inevitable sacrifice, just like what they both had experienced, was necessary for this greater good. 

 

But Madi is not like her mother. Her eyes are less calculating, though no less sharp, more like she already knows the answer Flint will give, what Silver will say, what any of them will do or think. She’s already forgiven them for their actions, for the blood on their hands. Flint sees her as perhaps the only honest person to lead the New World. 

 

“I have been exceedingly lucky,” he tells her, as her warm hands smooth salve over his arm. Madi gives a small smile at that, her eyes still focused on his arm. He can see the way her eyelashes cast small shadows on the top of her cheekbones, how the curve of her mouth is just a shade darker than her skin.

 

Silver loves her, which is clear to anyone just from the way that he looks at her when she enters the room. Flint isn’t jealous- how could he be, when he shared his heart in a similar way with Thomas and Miranda so many years before? 

 

They’ve have never shared a bed in the way that she does with Silver occasionally, or that Silver does with Flint. Not that Flint isn’t attracted to her, as she is a beautiful, intelligent woman, who no doubt cares very much for Silver. It’s more that there has never been such an opportunity that either of them have chosen to seize, or at the very least, on which he has never acted. For all he knows, she does not harbor such physical desire for him. 

 

She didn’t trust him for a long time, he knows. Between Silver protecting him at the start of this war, he can understand how such distrust might be bred, given his reputation and the fact that before Long John Silver existed, Captain Flint reigned terror in the world. Madi might not even fully trust him now, but she does respect him, and that is what he can have. 

 

In many ways, they are connected by Silver. He is a hurricane and they are willing victims caught in his wind. They both love him fiercely in their own ways, and love each other as part of that deep mutual respect. For Flint at least, that is far more than enough. 

 

But now, Madi surprises him by pressing a soft kiss to his cheek once she’s finished bandaging his arm. The touch of her mouth on the skin just above stubble is warm. “I am glad,” she says, just for him to hear. Flint looks into her eyes- considers the moment- but then looks away, behind her at Silver, who’s pouring another glass of wine. 

 

“Did he tell you how we tried to pierce his ear?” Flint says, and Silver gives a low laugh as he watches them. 

 

“My ear just healed. Tell me, do you know of anyone proficient with a needle?” Silver asks. 

 

Madi’s hand goes up to her bare earlobe as if in thought. “I have a needle here,” she offers, taking a step back from Flint. “Though, why are you doing it?” 

 

“He lost a bet,” Flint says.

 

“Listen, Joji said-”

 

“I don’t really want to hear it,” Madi says, and Flint is eternally grateful to her in that moment. 

 

Flint stands up as Madi retrieves the needle from a small box in the corner of the room. She turns back to Silver. “You have the earring?” 

 

Silver pats down his pockets, and Flint rolls his eyes, getting the earring from where he put it in his pocket earlier. He hands it to Madi. “The left earlobe’s probably still scarred,” Flint says instead, because he’s feeling more relaxed than he has in a while.

 

Silver scowls as Madi positions the needle and the earring on his right earlobe. “You bastard, I haven’t forgotten that-”  


 

He winces as Madi deftly pierces his ear, sliding the stud into place. “There,” she says, kissing Silver on the cheek just like she’d done for Flint. The symmetry strikes Flint for a moment, and he watches them together. 

 

Silver touched the stud, wiping away the small drop of blood on his neck. “That was much better than when we tried it,” he allows, and Madi drops another kiss on his mouth this time. 

 

“He looks good, does he not, captain?” she says, turning with a small smile to Flint. 

 

“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Flint says dryly. 

 

Silver smirks, crossing his arms in front of them. “You’re still handsome with those scars, don’t you worry. And those freckles, god- I still love putting my mouth all over them,” he says with a grin to Madi, who laughs after a moment, still looking at Flint. 

 

Flint tries not to flush at his words. Apparently Silver has drunk more than previously thought. He turns back to get his jacket. “I’m going to go check on the men,” he says, beginning to slip his injured arm into the jacket. 

 

But there are footsteps, and pair of soft hands stop his movement. “You can stay if you wish,” Madi tells him, her eyes intent on his face, even as he stills. “I would not mind the company, along with John.” 

  
He looks at her. Perhaps he has misunderstood the situation, the fleeting moments- then Silver laughs. He’s closer than Flint expected, coming up from behind them. When Flint turns, he’s standing there close to Flint as well. “She grows tired of me already. See, I think it would do us all good to share this wine,” he says, even though the bottle is forgotten behind him.

 

Flint swallows, and Silver’s eyes go to his mouth. This territory is unsure for him, and even though his mind draws a parallel to one of the times he had fallen into bed with Miranda and Thomas, he realizes that it’s very different right now in the moment, that they are very different people. 

 

Madi’s lips part slightly as Silver raises a hand to touch Flint’s jaw. “Do you-” Silver starts, unsure, but Flint kisses him before he can finish his question. 

 

“Yeah,” Flint says into his mouth, wet with wine, instead, as he can feel Madi’s hands come from behind him, tugging off his jacket once more and caressing his shoulders. “Yes.” 

 

They make their way back to the bed, where Silver drops the crutch to the ground thoughtlessly as Madi climbs astride Flint’s lap, mindful of the bandages on his arm, as Flint raises a cautious hand to steady her on the small of her back. 

 

She kisses him then, and though her mouth is less insistent than Silver’s, Flint groans as her hips move sinuously over him, her tongue running along his lower lip. Silver palms at himself with a low groan as he watches them, his other hand coming up to Madi’s hip, working her skirt up so she’s bare below the waist. They work together like this, Silver whispering into Flint’s ear as Madi moans above him, hands unbuckling Flint’s breeches until he’s naked underneath the two of them. 

 

There’s roaring in Flint’s ears as Madi pushes him onto the bed, straddles him so that her smooth thighs bracket his face and he can taste her. Eventually, Silver presses his fingers, then his cock inside of Flint, kissing Madi’s shoulders and neck as she writhes over Flint. Flint licks up into her, holding her steady on his face, and clenches around Silver, feeling him thrust deep inside him. 

 

The bed is small, but eventually, Silver ends up with Flint sprawled over him, Madi tucked at his side. Madi falls asleep first, and Flint toys with the small earring in Silver’s ear. 

 

_It looks good_ , he wants to say, but Silver grins down at him, sated and flushed, like he can read his thoughts. He runs a thumb over Flint’s cheekbone, just barely illuminated from the moon streaming in from the top of the doorway, and tucks his head over Flint’s. 

 

Flint steadies his breathing. Now he can hear the faint hum of insects outside, the soothing rush of wind not unlike on board the ship. The sounds and the warmth of the bodies around him lure him into a calm slumber, where he doesn’t dream for once.

 

•••

**Author's Note:**

> my black sails sideblog is @ jamesbarlow.tumblr.com! come say hi/let's cry about season 4 :)


End file.
